Italian rider speaks of warm reception from fans and team strategy for today’s Classic
When Marco Pinotti rolled back in the direction of the BMC Racing Team bus after signing on this morning, he rode through a corridor of Italian fans cheering and clapping his fifteen year career.
Although he is from Il Lombardia’s start region of Bergamo, the reception was something that he wasn’t quite expecting. Having revealed his decision to retire earlier this week in his blog on VeloNation, the multiple Italian time trial champion is riding his final race on Italian soil today.
He is bidding farewell to the tifosi in the end of season Classic, and the applause was a show of appreciation both for what he achieved and also how he conducted himself during his career.
“I feel emotional. Lots of people wanted to cheer me,” he said. “I couldn’t stop by everyone. Because it is my home town, it is a special feeling to finish the big races in Italy here. It is something I was expecting but not so big, so thanks everyone.”
Pinotti took six national time trial titles, won individual stages in the 2008 and 2012 Giro d’Italia and also led the race. He also won the 2008 Tour of Ireland and took stages in races such as the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Tour of Austria and Tour de Romandie.
However much of his career has been spent in the services of others, dedicating himself to teams such as HTC Highroad and the BMC Racing Team. He will continue with the latter after he rides his final two races, the Tour of Beijing and the Open des Nations time trial, moving into a role as part of the team’s sport science division.
In the video below Pinotti talks about his feelings starting Il Lombardia, the team’s strategy for the race and also heading to Beijing for the first time.